Thanks to groups like BTS — ok, mostly because of BTS — K-pop has taken the world by storm in recent years. The fandom around K-pop acts like the seven-member BTS is comparable to pretty much nothing that exists in the West, with the exception of maybe Taylor Swift’s global army of Swifties. Even with lyrics that are mostly in Korean, Western audiences and consumers have embraced the genre’s top-tier production value, elaborate stage shows, endless merch, the constant race to collect photocards, and so much more.
In August, two different streaming TV series on two separate services will capitalize on that interest and offer fans of the genre a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into making the music. One will track the creation of an all-new K-pop group, while the other focuses on the music and struggles of more established artists and acts.
Pop Star Academy: Katseye (Aug. 21 on Netflix)
First up is a Netflix docuseries from HYBE (the management company behind BTS) and Geffen records. Pop Star Academy: Katseye follows their collaboration with an aim to build a US-based girl group modeled after the K-pop training and development system.
That group, Katseye, was developed by whittling down 120,000 submissions from young people around the world to the 20 best performers competing for a spot in the band. That group was then whittled down to 10 and then to a final six. “Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE will follow the 20 original contestants and the behind-the-scenes process of putting together this one-of-a-kind girl group, beyond what was seen in The Debut: Dream Academy,” Netflix explains.
“Directed by award-winning filmmaker Nadia Hallgren, the director of the Emmy-nominated documentary about Michelle Obama, Becoming, the series is produced by HYBE, Interscope Films, and Boardwalk Pictures.”
K-Pop Idols (Aug. 30 on Apple TV+)
Also coming in August, meanwhile, is an Apple TV+ docuseries on the same phenomenon — this six-episode event on Apple’s streamer, however, will offer a backstage pass of sorts to a different side of K-pop. Specifically, the focus here will be on beloved, established artists like Jessi, Cravity, and Blackswan as opposed to the just-formed group on Netflix.
“Glitz meets grit as K-pop artists Jessi, Cravity, and Blackswan give everything they’ve got to an art form that demands nothing less than perfection,” Apple TV+ explains about the new series. “Over the course of six episodes, the series follows the superstars through trials and triumphs as they break down cultural and musical barriers in K-pop with passion, creativity and determination while they chase their dreams.”
This will definitely be a worthwhile watch for fans of this particular music genre — although, as an aside, I have to gently rib Apple for one thing. In their “Not Gonna Stop” clip promoting K-Pop Idols, Apple chose one of the most epic songs (titled On) from BTS, a group that near as I can tell is not part of this docuseries despite being the undisputed kings of the genre and having paved the way for others.
Check out a teaser for the group Katseye, as well as a clip from Apple’s K-Pop Idols below.
